Though he has yet to receive any formal offers from teams, longtime NHL coach Barry Trotz says he would strongly consider getting back behind the bench if the right opportunity came his way.
In an interview on Leafs Morning Take with Nick Alberga and Jay Rosehill as part of The Nation Network, the former New York Islanders coach spoke about the possibility of returning to coaching in the NHL on Tuesday.
“I would if it made sense. I would be quite honest with the team though ideally for me it would be after January,” said Trotz when asked if he would consider joining a team.
He also said the priority remains his family and that any offer would have to make sense for them.
After leading the Islanders to a 37-35-10 record last season and missing the playoffs, Trotz decided to take a temporary break from coaching.
“A lot of this summer has been ‘can I be all-in or not?’ and I wasn’t able to,” said Trotz on Tuesday. “I got to do things I needed to do as a husband, father and stepson. I did all that and it’s been a blessing.”
In the interview, he said “feels refreshed” and would “feel comfortable” if the right team or situation came his way as of now.
A few weeks ago, Trotz mentioned that coaching an Original Six team would “intrigue” him.
When asked about the idea of coaching one of the historic franchises or potentially a Canadian team on Tuesday, he made an effort to quell any rumblings of him positioning himself for those jobs if they were to become available.
“I grew up with the Original Twelve, but you know the Original Six… that’s where I started. I’ve done the expansion team, and I’ve coached a couple of great franchises in Washington and the Island, I haven’t done an Original Six,” said the Stanley Cup-winning coach.
“It was just a comment that I made that went quite viral I think. It wasn’t directed at one organization or another. Those are just cool things when you go through your career.”
Trotz said he hopes to win another Stanley Cup after reaching the pinnacle in 2018 with the Washington Capitals.
“When you win a Stanley Cup you want to do it again. I’ve been bitten by the bug,” said Trotz, who never has joined an NHL team mid-season. “I love the game, it’s given me so much, and I’ve always been all-in when I’ve gone to a team.”
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